Brutus

During the New Republic Era, the Shistavanen male named Brutus functioned as the First Mate of Captain Silvo's crew. They sailed the stars aboard a pirate frigate, hunting for riches and precious goods across the galaxy. Around 9 ABY, the pirates encountered a series of unproductive missions, causing some crew members to lose faith in Silvo. During one such mission, the crew intercepted and boarded a merchant freighter, invading the vessel while the merchant crew put up a defense. After the other pirates began to overwhelm the freighter's crew, Brutus stormed the starship wielding two blasters, opening fire on the remaining merchants. After Brutus had taken out the last of their enemies, he called back to Silvo to report their success, stepping aside to allow the captain to enter.

Brutus went with the other pirates to the magnetically sealed vault of the freighter, and Silvo commanded the vessel's merchant captain to grant them access. The freighter captain refused, claiming they were protected by the New Republic, and Silvo ordered he be thrown out of the airlock. Brutus affirmed the order as another pirate cut into the vault with an arc welder. After Silvo kicked down the door to reveal the vault was empty, Brutus shouldered past, picking up and sniffing the single credit within. The Shistavanen berated Silvo for the lives that were lost, and the other pirates drew their blasters on Silvo. The captain acknowledged the mutiny and attempted to fight back as Brutus merely watched, clutching the credit with a sneering grin. Brutus's mutiny was ultimately successful, and the Shistavanen succeeded Silvo as captain of the crew.

With his new authority established, Brutus directed the crew towards Port Borgo, a spaceport built into an asteroid known for its pirate clientele, over which the Shistavanen asserted control. The crew's former captain was placed into Port Borgo's brig to await trial. While the pirates were present, a group of children from the legendary planet At Attin—Fern, KB, Neel, and Wim—arrived aboard the starship Onyx Cinder in search of directions to their homeworld, inadvertently entering into a confrontation with the pirates. As the children attempted to flee to their ship with their droid ally SM-33, Brutus approached with a number of the pirates, shooting the droid down with an ion rifle. Handing the weapon over to the pirate Chaelt, Brutus demanded to know why the children were in Port Borgo. He questioned the other pirates as to how the intruders knew their coordinates and had evaded their cannons, and the pirate Gunter assured the captain that they would learn the truth. Brutus ordered Gunter to ensure the children did not escape again, turning to leave, but Fern called after him, demanding that he ask them his questions himself. Brutus recognized Fern's attitude, ordering the children to be thrown into the brig before departing.

Silvo—going by the name Jod Na Nawood—assisted the children in breaking out of the brig. The former captain's escape was eventually discovered, and Brutus had his pirates search the starport and interrogate its denizens. Na Nawood was later spotted while returning to rescue SM-33, and the pirates pursued him to the Onyx Cinder, which became caught on its fuel line when they attempted to escape. As the Onyx Cinder struggled, Brutus approached the docks, ordering the cannons to fire on the starship. The Shistavanen watched, glowering as the tangled fuel line caused several tethered vessels to collide. The Onyx Cinder escaped into hyperspace and broke free of the cable, which lashed back and struck the docks. Debris from the resulting destruction fell directly in front of Brutus, but the Shistavanen remained unflinching as he looked upon the scene. Gunter approached to ask whether they should pursue them, and Brutus growled, shoving the other pirate aside. The Shistavanen ordered a bounty to be placed on his former captain as he turned to leave.

Later, Brutus received a communication from Pokkit, a bounty hunter who had encountered Na Nawood at the Skull Ridge Mountain Hotel & Spa located on Lanupa, seeking the bounty. He questioned Na Nawood's location, leading Pokkit to send the coordinates and request payment. Brutus told her that she would receive her reward once the former captain was captured, ordering Pokkit to remain silent on the matter. The Shistavanen dispatched two starships and numerous pirates to Lanupa to hunt down Na Nawood. After Nawood was captured by the pirates on Lanupa, they brought him before Brutus, who sat on a throne aboard his frigate. The Shistavanen preceded over the trial of "Silvo," finding his former captain guilty. Brutus sentenced Na Nawood to death by airlock as the other pirates cheered. However, Chaelt interrupted to raise the point of equal time, as per the Right of Last Appeal of the Pirate's Code. Brutus growled, but the pirate Snobbius Snee declared that the Right of Last Appeal must be honored. The Shistavanen announced equal time and began a plasma hourglass, providing Na Nawood with an opportunity to speak.

As Na Nawood began to speak to the other pirates about their hunger for their take in a galaxy where credits were scarce, Brutus attempted to interrupt his speech, noting that his words meant nothing as a dead man. However, Na Nawood pointed out that he still had time left, and Brutus watched as the former captain proposed the idea of a place that held an unending reward. Na Nawood went on to reveal that such a place existed—At Attin, capable of producing endless Old Republic credits—and that he had heard its location from the legendary pirate Tak Rennod. Brutus stood and declared that Rennod was dead, but Na Nawood merely reminded the pirates that he had vanished after plundering At Attin. Na Nawood claimed that though Brutus made a capable First Mate, loyalty to the Shistavanen would only bring the other pirates a meager reward, promising greater treasure if they allied with him instead. At that moment, the timer ran out, and Gunter and Kona took hold of Nawood and brought him to Brutus. The Shistavanen announced that they would embark to At Attin before pushing Na Nawood against the airlock door, threatening his fate if there was no treasure to be found.

Upon arriving at At Attin aboard the frigate, Brutus and his pirates instead found a toxic maelstrom capable of destroying any starship that entered—the Barrier that surrounded the planet. On the bridge, Brutus looked upon the maelstrom before confirming with Chaelt that they were at the correct location. The Shistavanen laughed before taking hold of Na Nawood and bringing him toward the viewport, doubting the truth of his claims. Brutus ordered the airlock to be prepared, pressing a button to open the door himself. Before the pirates could seize Na Nawood, the former captain questioned Brutus's intelligence, leading the Shistavanen to stop in his tracks and growl. Na Nawood insisted that the Barrier was merely a trick to conceal At Attin, but Brutus was skeptical, deriding it as another fable. However, SM-33 backed the former captain's claim with the words of Tak Rennod, and Na Nawood bet his own life, offering to prove it if given a starfighter to fly into the maelstrom. Brutus took the bet, but declared Na Nawood would remain where he was, instead intending to dispatch a volunteer, the pirate Glerb.

From his throne, Brutus watched as Glerb took off in a snub-fighter, ordering the pilot to hurry up when he reported in over the comms. As Glerb flew through the storm, Brutus, Na Nawood, and the other pirates watched his progress on a holographic display, though the pilot was soon killed by the defensive system hidden within the Barrier. Brutus sighed before standing and pushing Na Nawood into the grip of two other pirates, who dragged him, protesting, into the airlock. The Shistavanen ignored Na Nawood's attempts to explain and ordered for the airlock to be released, demanding the pirates to hurry or else join their former captain. Na Nawood's execution, however, was once again delayed by Chaelt, who alerted Brutus to the arrival of the Onyx Cinder, piloted by the children from At Attin. Brutus and the other pirates examined a hologram of the antique vessel, and the Shistavanen ordered for the cannons to shoot it down. However, Na Nawood identified the Onyx Cinder as the key to passing through the Barrier and reaching At Attin. Brutus growled, but had the frigate capture the Onyx Cinder in its tractor beam.

As the smaller vessel was dragged into the frigate's hangar, Brutus strode toward it with the other pirates. The Shistavanen declared that Na Nawood had no further chances, threatening to kill him regardless of whether there was treasure to be found. Na Nawood argued that the crew loved him, but Brutus claimed that the pirates only cared for plunder. Once the Onyx Cinder's entry ramp was lowered, Brutus stood before it, threatening to enter unless the occupants exited unarmed. Brutus repeated his demand as made his way up the ramp, blaster drawn, but was met with no response. Before Brutus could order the other pirates to board, the children, hiding aboard the vessel, controlled its cargo lift claw to grab hold of the Shistavanen.

Brutus fired his blaster musket as the claw raised him into the air, but dropped the weapon as the lift thrashed. KB, speaking in a distorted tone through the comm, demanded the tractor beam's deactivation in exchange for Brutus's release. Na Nawood, however, took the opportunity to free himself from his shackles, picking up Brutus's fallen blaster. The trapped Shistavanen turned to the former captain and growled his name, but Na Nawood shot Brutus with his own weapon, killing him. Both Brutus's crew and the children were startled by the Shistavanen's death, and some of the pirates aimed their weapons at Na Nawood. The former captain declared that Brutus was a traitor, asking whether any of the crew wished to follow him. When none of the pirates challenged him, Na Nawood took command of the crew once more, intending to seize the treasure of At Attin.

Brutus, as the leader of a group of greedy pirates, was known for being intimidating and ruthless. He grew dissatisfied with Silvo's leadership, eventually leading a mutiny due to the loss of what he considered to be good men for a meager reward. Many, including Benjar Pranic, believed Nawood to be a superior captain compared to Brutus. After Na Nawood's escape, Brutus shoved Gunter aside, expressing his desire for the former captain and the children he aided to beg for mercy at his feet. He considered his former captain to be cowardly. During Nawood's trial, Brutus gleefully sentenced him to death and silenced his cheering crew. Despite his growls when the trial was interrupted by the declaration of equal time, he adhered to the Pirate's Code and reluctantly allowed Nawood to speak. Regardless, the Shistavanen scoffed at Na Nawood's speech, claiming the former captain was dead and that his words were worthless.

Brutus was doubtful of Na Nawood's claims about the treasure of At Attin, believing them to be fables. When the other pirates hesitated while executing Na Nawood, Brutus became impatient and threatened that they would suffer the same fate. After Na Nawood's execution was delayed yet again, the Shistavanen intended to take the first chance he could to kill the former captain regardless of whether he was right about the treasure. After Brutus's death, Na Nawood claimed he was merely a backstabbing mutineer. Brutus possessed black fur, gray skin, and red eyes. He stood at a height of 1.85 meters tall.

Brutus demonstrated proficiency in combat, effectively wielding two blasters to eliminate numerous enemies during the raid on the merchant freighter.

Brutus carried at least five different blaster pistol models—three on a bandolier and one holstered at each hip—and wore a black outfit featuring a cape and brown armor pieces. He utilized an ion rifle against the droid SM-33. After becoming captain of the crew, Brutus took command of their pirate frigate.

Brutus made his debut in the live-action Disney+ series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, with Fred Tatasciore providing his voice and Stephan Oyoung performing the character. The Shistavanen appeared in the first two episodes, "This Could Be a Real Adventure" and "Way, Way Out Past the Barrier," which were released on December 2, 2024. The character was initially revealed through a costume display at D23 on August 9, 2024, and his name was officially announced in an exclusive Entertainment Weekly article published on September 18 of the same year.

Jon Watts, the creator of the series, mentioned that the inclusion of space pirates like Brutus was a nod to the classic LucasArts video game Monkey Island, which served as an inspiration for the show. Brutus was among the characters designed by Legacy Effects, with co-founder J. Alan Scott expressing his appreciation for the opportunity to showcase characters and creatures from the original Star Wars series. The creation of Brutus's snarl was a collaborative effort by a team at Skywalker Sound, led by supervising sound editor Matthew Wood and sound designer David W. Collins.